Seeing the deep shock on the faces of the four people in front of him, Xiao Yan sneered. That's how people are; the more real the result, the harder it is for them to believe. However, Xiao Yan didn't care about that. Holding the heavy Heavy Xuan Ruler in his hand, he stepped through the void. Every step he took seemed to land on the hearts of these four Eight-Star Half-Emperor, making them tremble with fear.
"Tread..."
"Tread..."
"Tread..."
One step, two steps, three steps...
When Xiao Yan slowly approached the four men, their faces had turned deathly pale. They were trembling uncontrollably, and cold sweat poured down their foreheads like rain. Their faces were completely bloodless, and they looked as if they had contracted a serious illness.
They weren't just trembling physically; their hearts and souls were filled with utter terror.
Before this, they never imagined that they would die at the hands of a Five-Star Half-Emperor.
Think about it, normally, people of this level would treat them with utmost respect. Even Seven-Star Half-Emperor would have to act humble in front of them. But today, Xiao Yan has completely overturned their usual habits and their expectations.
Xiao Yan's face was cold and expressionless. Within a few steps, he had arrived in front of the most seriously injured old man among the four.
Seeing Xiao Yan approach, the old man was filled with terror. Everyone fears death, especially this old man who had cultivated for hundreds of years and was even more reluctant to die. Seeing Xiao Yan was like seeing the Grim Reaper. It felt as if a huge rock was pressing on his chest, making his breathing rapid.
"You... you... you..."
Although the old man wanted to say something, the fear deep in his soul made it difficult for him to speak. He stammered out three "you"s, but couldn't utter another word.
Xiao Yan remained unfazed, standing before the old man with the giant ruler in his hand raised high. Brilliant, terrifying Heavenly Flames rose from the ruler, but to the old man, these Heavenly Flames resembled ghostly fire from hell, captivating him completely.
" Sevenfold Heaven-Breaking Ruler, five feet!"
The cold words were slowly uttered from his mouth. At the same time, the giant ruler in Xiao Yan's hand fell rapidly with an extremely oppressive whooshing sound. Finally, under the horrified gazes of the other three elders, it slammed heavily into the chest of the elder in front of Xiao Yan.
"Bang!"
As the cracking sounds of bones breaking rang out, the others clearly heard a muffled thud like a balloon exploding. Needless to say, the old man's heart had probably been crushed and exploded within a foot of him.
As the loud thud echoed, the old man's body, which had been suspended in mid-air, began to fall rapidly and uncontrollably.
The moment the old man's corpse fell, Xiao Yan reached out and summoned a powerful suction force from his palm. Immediately afterward, a slightly illusory figure was forcibly pulled out of the body.
"Ugh! Xiao Yan, my body is already destroyed, and I won't live much longer. Why must you be so ruthless as to kill me!"
As his soul was ripped out, the old man let out a painful roar. The other three, seeing this, were even more terrified by Xiao Yan's move.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Yan, who looks so young, is incredibly ruthless, no less so than some long-lived monsters.
"I never leave myself any trouble behind. Even if you are just a soul and won't live long, as long as you have the will, you can still bring me endless trouble. I don't like trouble."
Despite the old man's roar, Xiao Yan remained calm and spoke indifferently.
Of course, while he said this, it was only one of Xiao Yan's purposes; the other was related to his ancestor Xiao Xuan.
Xiao Xuan's remnant soul needs extremely pure Soul Origin as energy to nourish it. Xiao Yan would never kill unrelated people to help his ancestor Xiao Xuan. And Xiao Yan never leaves any survivors of enemies who want to kill him. So, this became a way for Xiao Yan to obtain the power of Soul Origin.
With a clenched fist, Xiao Yan casually grasped the old man's soul in his palm. Immediately, the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame and the Fallen Heart Flame within his body appeared in his palm at the same time. In just an instant, they obliterated the old man's consciousness, and he began to refine the Spiritual Strength in his hand.
After a short while, once the Spiritual Strength in his hand had been completely refined, Xiao Yan temporarily stored it into his body and turned his gaze back to the other three elders.
After a brief respite, the three gradually calmed down, realizing they were likely doomed. They stopped struggling and begging for mercy, exchanged glances, and then looked at Xiao Yan. The old man in the brocade robe once again wore a ruthless expression and said in a low voice to the other two beside him:
"Gentlemen, it's truly unbelievable that we, dignified Eight-Star Half-Emperor, would die at the hands of a mere Five-Star Half-Emperor today. But even in death, we will make sure this guy is severely wounded and knows that we, dignified Eight-Star Half-Emperor, are not pushovers!"
"Cough cough... Xiao Yan, come on! Today, we old men will risk our lives to make you pay for this!"
Another old man stood up at that moment, took a deep breath, his gaze suddenly became resolute, and with a wave of his hand, a long sword fell into his hand. With a swing of the long sword, the blade pointed directly at Xiao Yan.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the old man in black robes also raised his head, and with his withered hand clenched in mid-air. A long staff, completely black with a metallic luster and engraved with mysterious runes, appeared in the old man's palm.
The long staff swung, making a whooshing sound in the air, before pointing at Xiao Yan.
The old man in the brocade robe waved his hand, and a large golden sword appeared in his palm. He gripped the hilt with one hand and held the back of the blade with the other, the blade pointing at Xiao Yan.
"Everyone, attack together! Kill him if you can, and if you can't, even if it means self-destruction, you must take his life!"
The old man in the brocade robe shouted sharply, then moved swiftly, brandishing his golden broadsword as he charged towards Xiao Yan.
On the other two sides, two old men also leaped into the air and charged towards Xiao Yan.
"A last-ditch effort? It's all in vain."
Seeing the three people rushing towards him, Xiao Yan snorted coldly, his body suddenly turned around, and he swung out two more feet of the giant ruler in his hand. The magnificent ruler light shot out and went straight to meet the three Eight-Star Half-Emperor opposite him.
"Um?"
However, just as the ruler-shaped beam was about to collide with the three of them, Xiao Yan suddenly frowned. The old man in the brocade robe actually stopped his forward momentum the moment the ruler-shaped beam was unleashed, and then turned around and fled quickly towards the distant horizon without looking back.
This guy actually betrayed his comrades at such a crucial moment.
Of course, the other two Eight-Star Half-Emperor also noticed the old man in the brocade robe's actions. Immediately, their expressions changed drastically. They really didn't expect that this guy would use them as a shield, betraying them to seek his own chance of survival.
This behavior is utterly despicable, and even Xiao Yan would find it utterly intolerable.